In Taiwan, Presbyterians have historically been active in promoting the use of the local vernacular Taiwanese, both during the Japanese colonial period, as well as after the transfer of sovereignty to the Republic of China (ROC), during which the exclusive use of Mandarin was legally mandated.

In 1895, as a result of Chinese defeat in the First Sino-Japanese War, Taiwan was taken over by Japan, and the Japanese colonial period started.

The PCT continued their mission work during the Japanese colonial period and dedicated themselves to the human rights of the Taiwanese people under colonization.

After the end of World War II in 1945, the Kuomintang (KMT) party, which controlled the Chinese government at that time, took over Taiwan.

[4] From 1978, the denomination was engaged in an extensive evangelization effort known as the "Ten plus One Movement", aimed at 10% increase of the communicant membership each year.

The WCC, which is more liberal and left-wing on many issues, was condemned by the KMT as a supporter of communism, thus standing on the same side with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

[5] The fate of Taiwan dramatically changed in the 1970s because of the gradually global recognition of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), which was under the CCP's control.

The KMT government in Taiwan felt extreme pressure, especially when the PRC replaced the ROC as the representative of China in the United Nations in 1971.

Led by then General Secretary Kao Chun-ming, the PCT released the Statement of Our National Fate by the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan in 1971, which asked the KMT government to give Taiwanese people the rights to decide their own future.

Following the confiscation of the church's Hoklo materials in 1975, the PCT published a second statement, which stressed the importance of religious freedom.

Even after the democratization of Taiwan, the PCT is still deeply involved in social movements, including human rights and other issues, and continues to play a significant role in Taiwanese society.